The sport of downhill skiing has been enjoyed by young and old for generations. Unfortunately, as people age, the use of the chair lift can put strain on a skier's knees. As a skier rides a chair lift in the seated position, the skier's knees need to support the weight of their ski boots and skis. For older individuals and people with compromised knee strength or knee injuries, this additional strain can make for an uncomfortable, and even painful lift ride and day of skiing. One solution is for a footrest to be provided on commercial ski chair lifts. However, not all ski chair lifts are equipped with a footrest, creating an uncomfortable ride for anyone with compromised knee strength or prone to knee pain. Adding to the problem is the fact that some ski resorts have a combination of lifts, some with footrests and some without. A skier does not know which lifts have a footrest ahead of time, often not until they are on or very close to the lift. Increasingly, commercial chair lifts do not have footrests, leaving skiers subject to unnecessary knee strain.
Various solutions have been attempted to provide relief to skiers in the past, but they have been ineffective for a variety of reasons. Prior attempts have included using the basket of the ski pole to support the weight of the legs, skis and ski boots, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,400. However, relying on the basket of the ski pole to support the weight of the skis and boots is awkward for the user and can be problematic because the ski pole basket is not designed for this use, subjecting it to stress that could cause it to break from the weight. In addition, where the basket of the ski pole is not designed for this purpose, the skier must concentrate on keeping their ski lined up on the basket for the entire chair lift ride as they try to balance their skis on the basket. Another attempt includes providing a platform attached to the ski poles on which the skier would balance their skis, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,341. Again, the platform requires balance and concentration by the skier for the duration of the ride on the chair lift. The platform also requires the skier to have the device attached to their ski poles all day.
As will be appreciated, the prior art designs do not allow for the skier to have a comfortable ride without having to actively position their skis and legs for relief.